Lee County, Florida

Lee County, Florida
Map
Location in the state of Florida
Florida's location in the U.S.
Statistics
Founded	12 May 1887
Seat	Fort Myers
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	1,212 sq mi (3,139 km²) 804 sq mi (2,082 km²) 408 sq mi (1,057 km²), 33.69%
Population  - (2007)  - Density	590,564 549/sq mi (212/km²)
Website: www.lee-county.com/

Lee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. The county makes up the entirety of the Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, and is the most populous county in Southwest Florida.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2000, the population of Lee County was 440,888. The population estimate for 2008 was 623,725. ^[1]

Its county seat is Fort Myers^[2], and its largest city is Cape Coral.

Contents 1 History 2 Geography 2.1 Adjacent counties 2.2 National protected areas 3 Demographics 4 Law enforcement 5 Education 6 Municipalities 6.1 Incorporated 6.2 Unincorporated 7 Islands 8 Transportation 8.1 Airports 8.2 Seaports and marine transport 8.3 Major highways 8.3.1 Bi-county transportation corridor 8.4 Major road bridges 8.5 Mass transportation 9 Media 9.1 Newspapers 9.2 Radio 9.3 Television 10 Professional sports 11 References 12 External links 12.1 Government links/constitutional offices 12.1.1 Special districts 12.1.2 Judicial branch 12.1.3 Internet sites

History

Lee County was created in 1887 from Monroe County. It was named for Robert E. Lee, Confederate general in the American Civil War.

Incorporated in 1886, Fort Myers is the center of a popular tourist area in Southwest Florida and the seat of Lee County. It is located about 120 miles (190 km) south of Tampa at the meeting point of the Gulf of Mexico and the Caloosahatchee River. Fort Myers was the frequent winter home of Thomas Edison, as well as Henry Ford. Lee County has been the host to several Major League Baseball teams for Spring Training, over the past several decades. Currently, it is the spring home of the Boston Red Sox, as well as the Minnesota Twins.

Fort Myers, built in 1850 as a military fort to fend off Seminole Indians that were massacring the area’s few settlers, was named after Col. Abraham C. Myers, who was stationed in Florida for seven years and was the son-in-law of the fort’s establisher and commander. In 1858, after years of elusive battle, chief Billy Bowlegs and his warriors were persuaded to surrender and move west, and the fort was abandoned. Billy’s Creek, which flows into the Caloosahatchee River, was named after a temporary camp where Billy Bowlegs and his men awaited ships to take them west.

In 1863, the fort was reoccupied by Federal troops during the Civil War. In 1865 the fort was attacked unsuccessfully by a small group of Confederates. After the war, the fort was again deserted.

The first settlers arrived in 1866, but it was not until 1882 when the city experienced a significant influx of settlers. By 1885, when Fort Myers was incorporated, it was the second largest city only to Tampa on Florida’s west coast south of Cedar Key, even larger than Clearwater and Sarasota, also growing cities at the time.

Fort Myers first became a nationally known winter resort with the building of The Royal Palm Hotel in 1898. But what really sparked the city’s growth was the construction of the Tamiami Trail Bridge built across the Caloosahatchee River in 1924. After the bridge’s construction, the city experienced its first real estate boom and many subdivisions sprouted around the city.

In 1923, Collier and Hendry Counties were created by splitting these areas from Lee County. As recently as 2004, discussion had taken place surrounding the possibility of the city of Cape Coral becoming its own county, citing in particular a perceived lack of infrastructure support from the Lee County government. However a new county has not as of yet been created.

On August 13, 2004, the county was hit hard by Hurricane Charley, a Category 4 storm, particularly on the northwestern islands of Captiva, Gasparilla and North Captiva.

This section requires expansion.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,212 square miles (3,139 km²), of which, 804 square miles (2,081 km²) of it is land and 408 square miles (1,057 km²) of it (33.69%) is water.

Lee County is located on the southwest coast of Florida. It is approximately 125 miles (201 km) south of Tampa and 115 miles (185 km) west of Fort Lauderdale via Interstate 75; and approximately 125 miles (201 km) west-northwest of Miami via U.S. Highway 41.

Lee County is the sole county in the Cape Coral-Fort Myers Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Adjacent counties

• Charlotte County, Florida (north)
• Glades County, Florida - (northeast)
• Collier County, Florida (southeast)
• Hendry County, Florida (east)

		Charlotte County	Glades County	v • d • e
	Gulf of Mexico		Hendry County
		Lee County, Florida
		Gulf of Mexico	Collier County

National protected areas

• Caloosahatchee National Wildlife Refuge
• J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge
• Matlacha Pass National Wildlife Refuge
• Pine Island National Wildlife Refuge

Demographics

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 440,888 people, 188,599 households, and 127,681 families residing in the county. The population density was 549 people per square mile (212/km²). There were 245,405 housing units at an average density of 305 per square mile (118/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 87.69% White, 6.59% Black or African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.77% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 3.07% from other races, and 1.55% from two or more races. 9.54% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 86.7% spoke English, 8.7% Spanish and 1.1% German as their first language.

In 2005 the population was 76.6% non-Hispanic white, 14.3% Latino, 7.5% African-American and 1.1% Asian. (Source=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/12/12071.html)

There were 188,599 households out of which 22.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.50% were married couples living together, 8.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.30% were non-families. 25.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.73.

In the county the population was spread out with 19.60% under the age of 18, 6.20% from 18 to 24, 24.00% from 25 to 44, 24.80% from 45 to 64, and 25.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45.2 years. For every 100 females there were 95.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $40,319, and the median income for a family was $46,430. Males had a median income of $31,247 versus $24,380 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,542. About 6.70% of families and 9.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.20% of those under age 18 and 5.60% of those age 65 or over.

Law enforcement

See: Lee County Sheriff's Office

Education

There are multiple colleges in Lee County They include Florida Gulf Coast University, Barry University, Nova Southeastern University, Edison State College, Hodges University, Southwest Florida College and Rasmussen College.

See: Lee County School District for primary and secondary schools in the area.

Municipalities

Incorporated

• City of Bonita Springs Population 43,517
• City of Cape Coral Population 154, 499
• City of Fort Myers Population 65, 729
• Town of Fort Myers Beach Population 6,874
• City of Sanibel Population 6,321

Unincorporated

• Alva
• Boca Grande
• Bokeelia
• Buckingham
• Burnt Store Marina
• Captiva
• Charleston Park
• Cypress Lake
• East Dunbar
• Estero
• Fort Myers Shores
• Gateway
• Harlem Heights
• Iona
• Lehigh Acres
• Lochmoor Waterway Estates
• Matlacha (on Matlacha Island)
• Matlacha Isles-Matlacha Shores
• McGregor
• North Fort Myers
• Olga
• Page Park
• Palmona Park
• Pine Island Center
• Pine Manor
• Pineland (on Pine Island)
• Punta Rassa
• San Carlos Park
• South Fort Myers
• St. James City
• Suncoast Estates
• Three Oaks
• Tice
• Villas
• Whiskey Creek

Islands

• Big Hickory Island (Lovers Key / Carl E. Johnson State Park)
• Cabbage Key
• Captiva Island
• Cayo Costa (Cayo Costa State Park)
• Estero Island (Town of Fort Myers Beach)
• Gasparilla Island (community of Boca Grande)
• Little Hickory Island (Beaches of Bonita Springs)
• Matlacha Island
• North Captiva Island
• Pine Island
• San Carlos Island
• Sanibel Island (Town of Sanibel)
• Useppa Island

This section requires expansion.

Transportation

Airports

• Southwest Florida International Airport, in South Fort Myers, serves over 7.6 million passengers annually. Currently, the airport offers non-stop flights to two cities in Germany (Munich and Düsseldorf) and two in Canada (Montreal and Toronto), in addition to 35 domestic non-stop destinations. 21 airlines operate scheduled service to and from the airport, with Delta Air Lines serving a plurality of the airport's passengers. On September 9, 2005, the airport opened a new terminal.

• Page Field, also in South Fort Myers, just south of the incorporated limits of the City of Fort Myers, is the county's general aviation airport. Prior to the opening of Southwest Florida Regional Airport in 1983 (now Southwest Florida International Airport), Page Field was the county's commercial airport.

Seaports and marine transport

A small port operation continues in Boca Grande, being used as a way-point for oil distribution. However, Port Boca Grande has been in decline for many years as the shipping industry has moved north, especially to the Port of Tampa.

In addition, a private enterprise operates a high-speed passenger-only ferry service between Fort Myers Beach From San Carlos Island and Key West. Another ferry service is offered from Fort Myers to Key West

Major highways

The Southwest Florida Expressway Authority is an 8-person body including transportation officials from Lee and Collier Counties, the role of which is to raise toll revenue to widen and improve major arteries throughout both counties. Of particular priority is the needed revenue to widen the I-75 freeway beyond the 6-lane expansion due to begin in March 2007.

• Interstate 75 is the county's only fully-controlled-access freeway, and has nine interchanges within Lee County, linking the area to Naples, Fort Lauderdale and Miami to the south and east; and Sarasota and Tampa to the north. The freeway is due to be widened and improved dramatically from its current 4-lane structure, beginning in March 2007. Plans include express/local lanes, and/or HOT Lanes, coordinated by the Southwest Florida Expressway Authority. [2]

• U.S. Highway 41 runs the length of Lee County, and is the county's main north-south arterial highway. It is a major commercial corridor, running as an elevated highway through the center of downtown Fort Myers, continuing south as a multi-lane divided surface highway through the communities of South Fort Myers, San Carlos Park, Estero, and Bonita Springs. From north-to-south, the highway's name starts as "North Tamiami Trail", changes to "Cleveland Avenue" from the Caloosahatchee River to State Road 884 (Colonial Boulevard) in the City of Fort Myers, then it is called "South Cleveland Avenue" from Colonial Boulevard to County Road 876 (Daniels Parkway) then changes to "South Tamiami Trail until the border with Collier County.

• State Road 80 's western terminus is in downtown Fort Myers. The multi-lane highway runs east-northeast along the southern banks of the Caloosahatchee River as "Palm Beach Boulevard" within the county, traversing the state of Florida to connect the area with LaBelle, Clewiston, and West Palm Beach.

• State Road 82 's western terminus is in downtown Fort Myers. The highway is called "Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard" within the incorporated limits of the City of Fort Myers, becoming "Immokalee Road" as it passes through Lehigh Acres and connects the area to Immokalee.

• State Road 884 is Lee County's main east-west arterial highway. Its western terminus is in the incorporated limits of the City of Cape Coral and the eastern terminus is in Lehigh Acres. Within Cape Coral, the highway is named "Veterans' Memorial Parkway", and is a multi-lane controlled access highway. Within Fort Myers, it is named "Colonial Blvd.". The road crosses the Caloosahatchee River as an elevated highway across a toll bridge, interchanging with U.S. Highway 41 and Interstate 75, then becomes a multi-lane divided surface highway through Lehigh Acres. After it intersects with State Road 82, it is called Lee Blvd.

Bi-county transportation corridor

In March 2005, Lee County and Charlotte County concluded a transportation study on creating a circumferential freeway that would bypass downtown Fort Myers, running through downtown Cape Coral and South Fort Myers.

The freeway is being designed as an 8- to 10-lane structure, including minor frontage roads. It is to begin at the Jones Loop Road interchange with Interstate 75 south of Punta Gorda in Charlotte County, and end at an upgraded Colonial Boulevard interchange with Interstate 75 near Lehigh Acres. [3]

Major road bridges

• Caloosahatchee Bridge (U.S. Highway 41): 4-travel-lane single-span bridge connects North Fort Myers with Fort Myers, over the Caloosahatchee River.

• Cape Coral Bridge (College Parkway/Cape Coral Parkway): 4-travel-lane single-span bridge (two eastbound, two westbound) connect Cape Coral with South Fort Myers, over the Caloosahatchee River.

• Edison Bridge (State Road 739): Two 3-travel-lane spans (one northbound, one southbound) connect North Fort Myers with Fort Myers, over the Caloosahatchee River.

• Interstate 75: Two 2-travel-lane spans (one northbound, one southbound) between the State Road 78 ("Bayshore Road") and State Road 80 ("Palm Beach Boulevard") interchanges, over the Caloosahatchee River.

• Matanzas Pass Bridge (State Road 865): 3-travel-lane single-span bridge crosses Hurricane Bay and Matanzas Pass within the incorporated limits of the Town of Fort Myers Beach, connecting the mainland to the barrier islands.

• Matlacha Bridge (State Road 78): a small single-leaf drawbridge connecting Cape Coral to Matlacha and Pine Island

• Midpoint Memorial Bridge (State Road 884): 4-lane single span bridge that connects Cape Coral with Fort Myers, over the Caloosahatchee River. The Midpoint Bridge will be part of the future Bi-County Transportation Corridor.

• Sanibel Causeway (State Road 867): series of three 2-travel-lane single-span bridges and two 3-travel-lane island causeways crossing the mouth of the Caloosahatchee River at the Gulf of Mexico. The causeway connects South Fort Myers with Sanibel.

• Wilson Pigott Bridge (State Road 31): 2-travel-lane single-span drawbridge between State Road 78 ("Bayshore Road") and State Road 80, over the Caloosahatchee River.

Mass transportation

Fixed-route bus service is provided by the Lee County Transit Department, operated as "LeeTran". Several routes extend outward from the Downtown Intermodal Transfer Center; in addition, suburb-to-suburb routes are operated, as well as park-and-ride service to and from both Fort Myers Beach and Southwest Florida International Airport.

The Downtown Intermodal Transfer Center also serves as an intermediate stop on Greyhound Lines bus service.

Media

Newspapers

Lee County's daily newspaper is the Fort Myers News-Press.

Lee County's weekly paper is Florida Weekly. (Web site)

In addition, Breeze Newspapers (Web site), the Naples Daily News (Web site) (circulation 56,981) publishes a "Bonita Daily News" edition (Web site), which serves Bonita Springs in southern Lee County. The Daily News is owned by the Ohio-based E. W. Scripps Company.

Radio

Arbitron Standard Radio Market: Ft Myers-Naples-Marco Island. [4]

With an Arbitron-assigned 783,100 listening area population, the metropolitan area ranks 62/299 for the fall of 2006.

The metropolitan area is home to 32 radio stations.

Television

Nielsen Media Research Designated Market Area (DMA): Ft. Myers-Naples. [5]

Number of TV homes: 479,130

2006-2007 U.S. rank: 64/210

• WBBH - NBC Affiliate NBC-2
• WFTX - Fox Affiliate FOX 4
• WGCU - PBS Member Station WGCU Public Media
• WINK - CBS Affiliate WINK TV
• WXCW - CW Television Newtork Affiliate CW 6
• WZVN - ABC Affiliate ABC-7
• WNFM - MyNetworkTV My TV 8
• WTPH - Azteca America 14

Professional sports

Club	Sport	League	Venue
Florida Everblades	Hockey	East Coast Hockey League	Germain Arena, Estero
Florida Firecats	Arena Football	Arena Football-2	Germain Arena, Estero
Fort Myers Miracle	Minor League Baseball	Florida State League	Hammond Stadium, South Fort Myers
Boston Red Sox (Spring training)	Major League Baseball	American League	City of Palms Park, Fort Myers
Minnesota Twins (Spring training)	Major League Baseball	American League	Hammond Stadium, South Fort Myers

^*It has been announced that the Florida Flame will not return for the 2007-2008 season.

References

1. ^ [1]
2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Template.cfm?Section=Find_a_County&Template=/cffiles/counties/usamap.cfm. Retrieved on 2008-01-31. 
3. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved on 2008-01-31. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Lee County, Florida

• Google map of Lee County

Government links/constitutional offices

• Lee County Government / Board of County Commissioners
• Lee County Supervisor of Elections
• Lee County Property Appraiser
• Lee County Sheriff's Office

Special districts

• Lee County Public Schools
• Lee County Metropolitan Planning Organization
• South Florida Water Management District
• Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council
• Lee County Fire Chief's Association

Judicial branch

• Lee County Clerk of Courts
• Public Defender, 20th Judicial Circuit serving Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry and Lee Counties
• Office of the State Attorney, 20th Judicial Circuit
• Circuit and County Court for the 20th Judicial Circuit of Florida

Internet sites

• Lee County Chat Online Discussion Forum.

v • d • e Municipalities and communities of Lee County, Florida County seat: Fort Myers Cities Bonita Springs | Cape Coral | Fort Myers | Sanibel Town Fort Myers Beach CDPs Alva | Bokeelia | Buckingham | Burnt Store Marina | Captiva | Charleston Park | Cypress Lake | East Dunbar | Estero | Fort Myers Shores | Gateway | Harlem Heights | Iona | Lehigh Acres | Lochmoor Waterway Estates | Matlacha | Matlacha Isles-Matlacha Shores | McGregor | North Fort Myers | Olga | Page Park | Palmona Park | Pine Island Center | Pine Manor | Pineland | Punta Rassa | San Carlos Park | St. James City | Suncoast Estates | Three Oaks | Tice | Villas | Whiskey Creek Unincorporated community Boca Grande

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Coordinates: 26°35′N 81°55′W / 26.58°N 81.92°W / 26.58; -81.92